Techniques to create patterns on silicon substrates using a sacrificial layer are known. A state of the art technique to create a pattern on a substrate is described in Jackson, B. L.; Groves, J.; “Hybrid Protein-lipid patterns form aluminum templates”, Langmuir 2007, 23 (4) 2052-2057. An aqueous aluminum lift-off process suitable for the fabrication of hybrid patterns of protein and supported lipid membrane on surfaces is described. An aluminum layer is used as a sacrificial layer to create a pattern on a surface. The document states that the major drawback of the technique is the necessary pH for effective aluminum removal. The three-dimensional structures of many proteins are extremely sensitive to pH. Hence, these structures are damaged by etching products with a high pH value. As a solution, the document proposes to use methods that delay protein binding until after aluminum dissolution. These could include reactive monolayers that both resist vesicle adsorption and retain reactivity after prolonged incubation in basic or acidic conditions. As an alternative solution, a highly stable linking protein such as streptavidin could be employed.